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;''ab initio'':A Latin phrase meaning "from the beginning." A marriage that is unlawful is void ''ab initio'', as if it never happened.
;abduction:The taking of a person by force or fraud. In family law, also the taking of a child contrary to a court order or without the permission of a guardian. In certain circumstances, the abduction of a child by a parent may be a criminal offence.
;access:Under the old ''Divorce Act'', the schedule of a parent's time with their children under an order or agreement, replaced with "parenting time" and "contact" in the new ''Divorce Act''. Access usually refers referred to the schedule of the parent with the least amount of time with the child. See "custody."
;account:In law, (1) a lawyer's bill to their client or a statement, or (2) a person's recollection of events.
;act:(1) Intentionally doing a thing, or (2) a law passed by a government, also called "legislation" or a "statute." See "regulations."
;''Adoption Act'':A provincial law dealing with the adoption process and the ability to adopt.
;adoptive parent:A person who has assumed the status of a legal parent to a child who is not their biological offspring. See "adoption," "assisted reproduction" and "natural parent."
;adultery:A married person's voluntary sexual intercourse with a person other than their spouse, also known as cheating, playing the field and fishing out of season. Proof of adultery is grounds for an immediate divorce, providing that the spouse complaining of the adultery can prove that the adultery occurred and that he or she has they have not consented to or forgiven the adulterous act. See "collusion," "condonation," and "divorce, grounds of."
;advance:In family law, this usually refers to one party obtaining a part of any property at issue before the property has been finally divided by court order or the parties' agreement, usually in order to help pay for that person's legal fees.
;Advisory Guidelines:Short for the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines, an academic paper released by the Department of Justice that describes a variety of mathematical formulas that can be applied to determine how much spousal support should be paid and how long it should be paid for, once a spouse is found to be entitled to receive support. The Advisory Guidelines is not a law, although it is pretty useful.